THE WICKEDEST MAN IN THE WORLD

Mountain climber, drug addict, mage -- The Great Beast, Aleister Crowley was all of them and more. Known in fin de siècle circles for his magickal (and sexual) prowess (he completed the highest grade of the occult group, Order of the Golden Dawn, in record time), Crowley's influence has since been persistent through the ensuing years. A number of biographies of his life have been published, including his own, "hagiography"; a few of them thoughtful, but most capitalize on his alleged practicing of black magic, devil worship, animal sacrifice and homosexuality. And who hasn't heard of his image as one of those immortalized on The Beatles' "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" LP sleeve?

Crowley is admired these days for his liberating doctrine embodied in his famous, BOOK OF THE LAW, wherein he formed his own metaphysical methodology that was revealed to him in communication with an entity named Aiwass.

He is most often referred to these days when the mention of a famous occultist is called for. Along the way, Crowley became known to the press as "The Wickedest Man in the World". For years after his death in 1947, the media still covered his "unsavory exploits". This article is from the Australian digest magazine, CAVALCADE (September, 1951).

BONUS!

The famous "Hubba-Hubba Girl", Evelyn West (1921-2004) was a stand out (no pun intended) in the world of burlesque. She was an indefatigable self-promoter, and once tried to change her name to Evelyn "$50,000 Treasure Chest" West. Here she is in CAVALCADE posing for more conventional pinup shots.

A famous publicity shot of Evelyn West.

Evelyn West in full burlesque regalia.